Tyler Honeycutt dunks over four people in Israeli dunk contest

Tyler Honeycutt only lasted 24 games in the NBA after a two-year stint at UCLA, but he’s still — as Ben Howland would say — making money playing basketball. The former All-Pac-10 selection signed with Ironi Nes Ziona in the Israeli Super League last August, and made SportsCenter by dunking over four people during the all-star contest.

VIDEOS: Bruins talk to media after double-overtime loss to Oregon

Head coach Steve Alford, after the Bruins forced double overtime without their two best players: “I don’t know if I’ve been more proud of a basketball team during a regular season game.”

David Wear walks through his buzzer-beating 3-pointer, one that came off an inbounds pass from twin brother Travis with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. Continue reading “VIDEOS: Bruins talk to media after double-overtime loss to Oregon” »

UCLA forces double-overtime thriller in 87-83 loss to Oregon

Pauley Pavilion nearly saw a miracle.

With 1:01 left on the game clock, UCLA was down seven points and missing its two best players.

The Bruins clawed their way through 11 more minutes, eventually falling 87-83 to Oregon in double overtime. Along the way, they left fans with arguably the most memorable game of the season.

Three hours before the 8 p.m. tipoff, the team had announced the suspensions of point guard Kyle Anderson and leading scorer Jordan Adams.

With little time the prepare, UCLA (21-7, 10-5) went almost the entire first half without an inside bucket and walked into the locker room in a 12-point hole.

No matter. With 1.2 seconds left in regulation, David Wear snuck behind the Ducks’ defense and streaked upcourt for a wide-open three. He caught an inbounds pass from his twin brother, Travis, and drilled a shot from some 30 feet away. Continue reading “UCLA forces double-overtime thriller in 87-83 loss to Oregon” »

Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams suspended one game for violation of team rules

UCLA’s already slim chances at catching Arizona for the Pac-12 lead may have just disappeared.

The team suspended leading scorers Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson one game each for a violation of team rules. They will sit out when the Bruins tip off against Oregon at 8 p.m. tonight. The pair combines to average 32.1 points — over a third of the squad’s total output — as well as 14.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 4.6 steals.

The Ducks have the conference’s second-highest scoring offense behind UCLA, and lost their prior matchup in Eugene by just two points. With four games left in the regular season, the Bruins sit 2.5 games behind the Wildcats for first place.

Likely in line for their first career starts are freshman guards Zach LaVine and Bryce Alford. LaVine scored 14 points at Stanford last Saturday, his first double-digit effort in nearly a month, while Alford has averaged 7.8 points and 2.3 assists in his last eight games.

Kyle Anderson named finalist for Oscar Robertson Trophy

Kyle Anderson made another cut for a national award on Thursday morning, becoming one of 15 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

The UCLA point guard is one of two representatives from the Pac-12, joining Arizona guard Nick Johnson. Anderson and UConn’s Shabazz Napier are the only finalists to also make the midseason watch lists for the Wooden, Naismith and Bob Cousy Awards. Napier is averaging 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists to Anderson’s 14.9, 8.6, and 6.9.

See the full list of Robertson Trophy finalists below. Continue reading “Kyle Anderson named finalist for Oscar Robertson Trophy” »